Post by oksaradt on Mar 21, 2009 13:45:48 GMT -5
Another fun seminar being around only dog people that work scent.
Some general observations from this year's class.
Most dog handlers don't know how to classify themselves when you ask them if they are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced dog team.
My personal belief is an advanced dog team goes to a seminar to be challenged with some new blinds and to find their weak spots. The advanced dog handler recognizes they'll not always get it right, but this is an opportunity to fix what they didn't know they were lacking in. The benefit of this is it occurs in a controlled atmosphere and no victims suffer. There's someone there to talk you through what they saw occur in your dog and in you. Almost always problems occur either because the dog team has never experienced a scent or scents in the unique environment presented. An advanced dog team handler doesn't feel they need to reward a dog every time if they don't know if their dog is right. On real searches, unless the human remains are staring you in the face, we rarely know other than by our dog's trained indication if there are human remains there.
So, for those not there, when I set up a blind problem for an advanced dog team, I show them their area, hand them a number of flags, and tell them, "Zero to...let's see....you have four flags....zero to four" and I walk away. I try to set up problems where I can watch my students all from a cental location, but I'm rarely there as I tend to get called around frequently. When an advanced handler feels they are done, they'll call me and I'll come look at the flags. If the flag is right, I say, "good job." If the flag is off, I'll pull it. If they've missed something, I'll tell them to "keep working". When the handler is either confused or really done, then we'll address the problem and I'll explain what the scent is doing. If they wish to reward their dogs over scent, then this is the time to do that and give the dog an attaboy. If the dog indicated over a bad thing, now is the time to proof. If I now know the dog thinks a non-human scent is worth indicating on, then I'll tell the handlers of similar such scents in other areas as they go into them so they can proof. The point of all this is that unless you work a blind where you just don't know, then you'll never get an honest assessment. From experience, I know that decent blinds set up by someone that understands scent and how to manipulate it is well worth a semianr fee.
Intermediate Students tend to be where most fall as the dogs have a trained alert/indication on the dog for the scents they have access to. Intermediate students always want to know where their sources and distractions are as this way they feel confident that they won't screw up their dog. There is more temptation in these situations for the handlers to assist their dogs. This temptation can cause the dogs and handlers to get into an interdependent relationship where the dog can't make the find unless the handler reinforces it. The downfall of this is the dog might leave a find because the handler doens't think it's there; Thus the need to work real blinds.
Beginning students are either dogs and/or handlers brand new to scent work. The dog needs to be imprinted. Or the dog may know the scent, but doesn't know it needs to give a trained behavior. Finally, the dog team needs the dog to be able to target somehow where the source is. A common trait in both beginning and intermediate dog teams is the phenomena of the handler looking for the scent source the dog has discovered. This demonstrates both a lack of confidence in the dog and the lack of a trained target. That there are teams (none in the seminar suffer from this now) that believe they can get by with simply reading their dog boggles my mind. Reading your dog is a necessary skill that the handler uses to make sure the dog gives a good check to an area where scent (human scent) might be. If the dog checks where you saw the behavior change and leaves it without an alert/indication and a target (if needed), then the dog didn't think it was the right scent. If the dog left human scent, then we know we need to continue imprinting. If the dog left non-human scent.....happy days, it did its job.
While it's possible to make strong scents in small packages, it's also very possible to make large sources not stick out in the environment such that a dog handler can watch their dog move all around the source, but never see it UNTIL that dog targets.
I believe in placing sources where handlers won't/don't recognize it as a source until the dog brings it to their attention and many times not even then do they VISUALLY recognize it. I was trained this way because it's the only way to build dog teams to the advanced stage. The dog must become competent in locating and targeting scent regardless of its handler AND the handler has to have confidence in their previous training to take the dog at its word because prior issues were solved in training. To me, the only dog teams that should be working the field fall into the advanced dog team stage because that's what a real search is every time. If there's a whole body for the handler to stumble upon, the dog is only required to get the handler in the area. I'll always remember a search I was on when another handler yells, "I FOUND HIM! MY DOG FOUND HIM!" Me thinks in that case that the handler found the body first. I wish it wasn't so.
I was honored to work with Brad Dennis for another seminar. He's a great instructor and has the reputation of being "the nurturing one." Me thinks the name they had for me was not so nice, but they were a great class.
Shreveport Fire Department puts on an excellant seminar for a very low price. I honestly can't see how they make much money to support their search dog team. I'm just honored that they let me be part of it.
Regards,
Jim
Some general observations from this year's class.
Most dog handlers don't know how to classify themselves when you ask them if they are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced dog team.
My personal belief is an advanced dog team goes to a seminar to be challenged with some new blinds and to find their weak spots. The advanced dog handler recognizes they'll not always get it right, but this is an opportunity to fix what they didn't know they were lacking in. The benefit of this is it occurs in a controlled atmosphere and no victims suffer. There's someone there to talk you through what they saw occur in your dog and in you. Almost always problems occur either because the dog team has never experienced a scent or scents in the unique environment presented. An advanced dog team handler doesn't feel they need to reward a dog every time if they don't know if their dog is right. On real searches, unless the human remains are staring you in the face, we rarely know other than by our dog's trained indication if there are human remains there.
So, for those not there, when I set up a blind problem for an advanced dog team, I show them their area, hand them a number of flags, and tell them, "Zero to...let's see....you have four flags....zero to four" and I walk away. I try to set up problems where I can watch my students all from a cental location, but I'm rarely there as I tend to get called around frequently. When an advanced handler feels they are done, they'll call me and I'll come look at the flags. If the flag is right, I say, "good job." If the flag is off, I'll pull it. If they've missed something, I'll tell them to "keep working". When the handler is either confused or really done, then we'll address the problem and I'll explain what the scent is doing. If they wish to reward their dogs over scent, then this is the time to do that and give the dog an attaboy. If the dog indicated over a bad thing, now is the time to proof. If I now know the dog thinks a non-human scent is worth indicating on, then I'll tell the handlers of similar such scents in other areas as they go into them so they can proof. The point of all this is that unless you work a blind where you just don't know, then you'll never get an honest assessment. From experience, I know that decent blinds set up by someone that understands scent and how to manipulate it is well worth a semianr fee.
Intermediate Students tend to be where most fall as the dogs have a trained alert/indication on the dog for the scents they have access to. Intermediate students always want to know where their sources and distractions are as this way they feel confident that they won't screw up their dog. There is more temptation in these situations for the handlers to assist their dogs. This temptation can cause the dogs and handlers to get into an interdependent relationship where the dog can't make the find unless the handler reinforces it. The downfall of this is the dog might leave a find because the handler doens't think it's there; Thus the need to work real blinds.
Beginning students are either dogs and/or handlers brand new to scent work. The dog needs to be imprinted. Or the dog may know the scent, but doesn't know it needs to give a trained behavior. Finally, the dog team needs the dog to be able to target somehow where the source is. A common trait in both beginning and intermediate dog teams is the phenomena of the handler looking for the scent source the dog has discovered. This demonstrates both a lack of confidence in the dog and the lack of a trained target. That there are teams (none in the seminar suffer from this now) that believe they can get by with simply reading their dog boggles my mind. Reading your dog is a necessary skill that the handler uses to make sure the dog gives a good check to an area where scent (human scent) might be. If the dog checks where you saw the behavior change and leaves it without an alert/indication and a target (if needed), then the dog didn't think it was the right scent. If the dog left human scent, then we know we need to continue imprinting. If the dog left non-human scent.....happy days, it did its job.
While it's possible to make strong scents in small packages, it's also very possible to make large sources not stick out in the environment such that a dog handler can watch their dog move all around the source, but never see it UNTIL that dog targets.
I believe in placing sources where handlers won't/don't recognize it as a source until the dog brings it to their attention and many times not even then do they VISUALLY recognize it. I was trained this way because it's the only way to build dog teams to the advanced stage. The dog must become competent in locating and targeting scent regardless of its handler AND the handler has to have confidence in their previous training to take the dog at its word because prior issues were solved in training. To me, the only dog teams that should be working the field fall into the advanced dog team stage because that's what a real search is every time. If there's a whole body for the handler to stumble upon, the dog is only required to get the handler in the area. I'll always remember a search I was on when another handler yells, "I FOUND HIM! MY DOG FOUND HIM!" Me thinks in that case that the handler found the body first. I wish it wasn't so.
I was honored to work with Brad Dennis for another seminar. He's a great instructor and has the reputation of being "the nurturing one." Me thinks the name they had for me was not so nice, but they were a great class.
Shreveport Fire Department puts on an excellant seminar for a very low price. I honestly can't see how they make much money to support their search dog team. I'm just honored that they let me be part of it.
Regards,
Jim